Growing demand and record order book sees Airbus ramp up A330 production

Airbus is to increase production of the long range wide body A330 aircraft in response to growing demand.

Taking effect in January 2017, the change will raise production from its current level – six aircraft per month – to a monthly rate of seven.

The company also said it will increase production of the new A350 jet as they revealed a 15% increase in net profit and a record number of planes on order.

Chief executive Tom Enders said:

“The record order book supports our commercial aircraft ramp-up plans and we are driving operational efficiency.

“The 2015 results reflect our solid financial and operational performance. We have delivered on our commitments and have maintained our outlook for 2016 and beyond.”

The firm said it expects the world economy and air traffic to grow this year “in line with prevailing independent forecasts and assumes no major disrup

“The A330 has enjoyed additional commercial success in China, Saudi Arabia and South Africa among other countries. Add to that healthy demand for the MRTT military derivative and you have an order book that can easily absorb an increase of one aircraft per month,” said Eric Zanin, Head of the A330 Programme.

Airbus made 2.7 billion euros last year, up from 2.3 billion euros in 2014, the company said.

Airbus is expected to make around 650 aircraft this year, up from 635 in 2015 and has forecast a growing order book in 2016.